Unlike his famous elder brother, Sanjeeva Ranatunga never touched lofty heights at the international level, but he was a talented left-hand batsman on the domestic level. Having scored heavily at the school level he went on to captain Ananda College and then Sri Lanka A on several occasions, after which he was picked for the home series against Pakistan in 1994. He began well in the one-day series, scoring 70 in his second match, but his form tapered off and he played the last of his 13 ODIs in January 1996. Ranatunga showed more promise in Test cricket, with back to back centuries in Zimbabwe in his second and third matches - his average after seven Tests was 59.71 - and was given the chance to tour New Zealand, Pakistan and Australia. However, international cricket proved a difficult hurdle and Ranatunga was dropped from the side. A somewhat controversial recall came in June 1997, for Sri Lanka's tour to the West Indies, but one poor match was all it took for Rangatunga's international career to finish. Cricinfo staff